1. Field
The disclosed system and method relates to a network facsimile apparatus, and more particularly to a network facsimile apparatus which is capable of functionally generating a sub-address that is uniquely related to an electronic mail address of a client terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been developed a so-called network facsimile machine that is capable of exchanging E-mail (electronic mail) with other data terminals via a local area network and the Internet, as well as exchanging facsimile data with other facsimile machines via a public switched telephone network (PSTN). Such a network facsimile machine has been provided with an address conversion table that includes a plurality of sub-addresses and of corresponding network addresses such as electronic mail addresses. When the network facsimile machine receives a sub-address from a sending facsimile machine during a communications session via the public switched telephone network (PSTN), it examines the address conversion table with the received sub-address so as to obtain an appropriate electronic mail address of a destination data terminal. The network facsimile machine then transmits the received facsimile image information to the thus-specified destination data terminal via a local area network (LAN). By using the network facsimile machine, it becomes possible for users to easily transmit facsimile image information to a data terminal connected to a local area network from a facsimile machine connected to the PSTN. Accordingly, users can benefit from such convenient connections between networks of the facsimile machines and data terminals.
However, the above-mentioned network facsimile machines have a drawback. If a single data terminal has a plurality of sub-address, sending facsimile machines may have problems communicating with the single data terminal. A plurality of different sub-addresses may be given to a single data terminal when a user owes an account for his single data terminal at a plurality of the network facsimile machines, each one of which belongs to a different domain. In this case, Group 3 facsimile machines are generally required to specify a destination data terminal with a sub-address during a time of exchanging protocols, so that a user needs to maintain a cross reference of the sub-addresses and the telephone numbers of the network facsimile machines.
It is believed that there is no system available that allows users to use E-mail addresses instead of sub-addresses to transmit image information from a facsimile apparatus to a LAN-connected (local area network connected) destination data terminal via a network facsimile apparatus connected to the same LAN (local area network).